Fish stringer



Dec. 24, 1940.

F. J. HIRSCHMANN FISH STHINGER Filed March 15, 1958 v ww///////////Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE FISH STRINGERFrederick J. Hirschmann, San Leandro, Calif. Application March 15, 1938,Serial No. 196,050

1 Claim. (01124-7) pension chain 1 by means of a bolt or similar L Thisinvention relates to fish stringers and has for its object to provide acomparatively simple and inexpensive device of this character adapted tobe suspended from the gunnel of a boat or other suitable support and bymeans of which thefish, as they are caught, may be successivelypositioned on the stringer without the necessity of untying the stringeror lifting the fish already strung thereon into a boat when it isdesired to place an additional fish on said stringer.

A further object of the invention is to provide the device with aflexible stringer member having a plurality of individual snap hooksslidably mounted thereon adapted to receive the fish as they are caughtand successively guide said fish along the stringer memberto a positionbeneath the surface of the water.

A further object is to provide one end of the flexible stringer memberwith a fixed sleeve having a lateral fin for attachment to a suspensionelement and to provide the snap hooks with guide sleeves havinglongitudinal slots therein adapted to receive the fin when positioning ahook on or removing said hook from the stringer.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve thisclass of devices so as to increase their utility, durability andefiiciency.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and inwhich similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in allthe figures of the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fish stringer embodying the presentinvention showing the same suspended from the gunnel of a boat,

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the upper portion of the stringerelement showing the guide sleeve of one of the snap hooks in position tobe slid onto said stringer element,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the snap hooks detached,

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view of the stopcollar and itsassociated parts, and

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view illustrating another form of snaphook.

The improved fish stringer forming the subjectmatter of the presentinvention comprises a flexible stringer element 5 of any desired lengthfastening device 10. The lower end of the flexible element 5 is providedwith a removable stop collar H and extending through an opening in saidstop collar and also through an opening in a stationary sleeve l I (seeFigure 4) on the cord 5 is a cotter pin I2 whichserves topreventaccidental displacement of the stop collar. Slidably mounted onthe stringer element is a plurality of removable snap hooks [3 eachpreferably formed of a single length of wire having one end thereof bentto form an eye l4 and its other end, extended downwardly and thencelaterally and upwardly to form a bill [5. The strands of wire onopposite sides of the eye M are secured in position by means of asubstantially S-shaped plate [Gone end of which is coiled around one ofthe metal strands, as indicatedat l1, while the other end thereof isbent to form a keeper l8 for the reception of the bill of the E book.Pivotally connected with each snap hook I3 is an elongated guide sleevel9 having its lower end provided with a lateral ear on which ispivotally mounted an eye bolt 2| which latter engages the eye 14 of theadjacent snap hook and retains the parts in assembled position. The eyebolt 2! forms, in effect, a swiveled connection between the sleeve l9and the adjacent snap hook so as to permit rotation of the snap hookrelative to the ear 2!] and thus allow a fish placed upside down on thehook to right itself and swim freely around the stringer element whenthe latter is lowered into the water. The guide sleeve H is provided onone side thereof with a longitudinal slot 22 to permit the sleeve topass over the fin 9 when positioning the snap hooks or removing saidsnap hooks from the stringer element. The stop collar H is alsopreferably provided with a lateral ear 23 on which is pivotally mountedby a swivel connection 24 one of the snap hooks. If desired, however,the lower snap hook may be omitted and likewise the ear 23, and

it is to be understood that the stop collar may be constructed eitherwith or without the lowermost snap hook.

In operation, the suspension chain 1 is attached to a nail on the gunnelof a boat 6 or other suitable support and the stringer element the slot22 in alinement with the fin 9 and in which position the snap hook withthe fish thereon will slide downwardly by gravity until the sleevestrikes the stop collar II, as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. Asthe fish are caught, they are successively placed on the individual snaphooks and the operation previously described repeated. By forming thefish stringer in the manner described the fish, as they are caught, maybe successively positioned on the stringer without the necessity ofuntying the suspension chain 1 or lifting the fish already strungthereon into a boat every time it is desired to place an additional fishon said stringer. After the days catch is completed, the stringer withthe fish thereon is elevated within the boat and the cotter pin l2 andstop collar ll removed, thereby permitting the snap hooks to slide oilthe lower end of the stringer. The fish are then removed from theindividual snap hooks and the latter cleaned and placed in a bait boxfor further use. i

In Figure 5 of the drawing, there is illustrated another form oftheinvention in which the connecting plate 25 instead of being ofS-shape formation extends straight across the adjacent strandscomprising the hook, the construction and operation of this form of thedevice being otherwise similar to the snap hook shown in Figure 3 of thedrawing.

It will, of course, be understood that, when the stop collar II isformed with the attaching ear 23 for suspending a hook therefrom, thefirst fish caught will be placed on the lowermost hook and the fishsubsequently caught successively placed on the other hooks and loweredto a position beneath the water. Owing to the fact that the guidesleeves l9 are slidably and rotatably mounted on the flexible cord orstringer element and further due to the swivel connections between thesnap hooks and the lateral ears on said guide sleeves, fish strung onthe element 5 may swim freely in all directions regardless of theirpositions on the hooks without danger of entangling the cord orinterfering with one another so that the fish will keep alive for anindefinite period.

It will, of course, be understood that the stringers may be -made indifferent sizes and shapes and provided with any desired number of snaphooks without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A fish stringer comprising a smooth continuous stringer member, a sleevepermanently secured to the lower end of the stringer member andhaving anopening therein, a stop collar fitting over the sleeve and provided withan opening registering with the opening of said sleeve, a fasteningdevice extending through said openings to detachably hold the stopcollar in place, a stationary sleeve secured to the upper end of thestringer member and provided with a lateral fin, said sleeveconstituting a socket within which the adjacent end of the stringermember is secured, a flexible suspension element secured to the fin,longitudinally slotted guide members slidably and rotatably mounted onthe stringer member and each provided at its lower end with a lateralfinger, a plurality of snap hooks, and a swivel connection between eachsnap hook a1 id the finger of the adjacent guide sleeve.

FREDERICK J. HIRSCHMANN.

